A Relation between Oral Hygiene Frequency and Presence of Visible Biofilm in Permanent Dentition among School-going Children in Bhopal, India

Abstract

Aims and objectives: The purpose of this study was to associate oral hygiene frequency and presence of visible biofilm in the permanent dentition. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaires survey was conducted among 300 school children in Bhopal located in central zone of Madhya Pradesh in India during the period of January 2015. Two biofilm indices, one simplified (BF1) and other conventional (BF2), were used. BF1 classifies biofilm as absent, thin or thick, in anterior and/or posterior teeth, and provides scores for the subject, whereas BF2 classifies, biofilm as absent or present, provides scores for three sufaces of each tooth and the final score is the percentage of tooth surfaces with biofilm. Chi-square and Spearman's correlation tests were applied by using Statistical Package of Social Science software. Results: 10% of subjects clean their teeth twice a day or more, whereas 1% subject never clean their teeth. Maximum 84% subject clean their teeth once a day. BF1 reveals that 7% (21) of the children had no visible biofilm, 80% (240) had thin biofilm in anterior or posterior teeth, 12% (36) had thick biofilm in anterior or posterior teeth and 1% (3) had thick biofilm in both anterior and posterior teeth. BF2 revealed a mean value of 31.141%. Conclusion: A significant correlations were found between oral hygiene frequency and presence of visible biofilm expressed by the simplified and the conventional indices.